A N.W. View of the State House in Philadelphia," ca.1790. An engraving by Trenchard based on a detail from a painting by Charles Willson Peale as published in the Columbian Magazine.

A northwest View of the State House in Philadelphia," ca.1790.

WELCOME TO INDEPENDENCE

A few ideas so capture the imagination of mankind that they imbue physical objects with universal meaning. For Americans, indeed for all people, there are no more potent symbols of individual freedom than Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Since 1951 this building and this long-silent tocsin have been maintained by the American people as part of Independence National Historical Park. The park includes three square blocks in the City of Philadelphia where the dream of a free country of independent citizens became fact. Here were written the two documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, on which the foundations of our country rest. Here, from 1790 to 1800, when Philadelphia was the nation’s capital, the principle of governance based on the rights of individual citizens was first tested. Through a series of events, which in retrospect seem almost miraculous, many of the buildings in which these events took place were preserved. With years of devotion and effort on the part of the City of Philadelphia, the National Park Service, and countless private citizens, these places have been restored for the enjoyment and enlightenment of the millions who come to Independence.

Independence National Historical Park is many things to many people. It is, of course, as it was intended to be, a national shrine. The events that took place here two centuries ago, and the buildings and objects associated with them, are what attract visitors from every state in the Union and almost every country around the globe. This place where our nation began arouses deep feelings. The attentive silence of the crowds in the Assembly Room is a testament to this emotion. So is the awe on the faces of children as they view the Liberty Bell for the first time. But Independence is more than an object of reverence. It is also a place to be reminded of the ideals that formed the basis for the founding of the United States, and on which its continued survival depends. And as they tour the park, visitors are made aware that the formation of this nation was the work of men, imperfect like themselves, who transcended their faults and foibles to create an enduring democracy, the oldest in the world and a model for free men everywhere.

The purpose of Independence is serious, but the mood in the park is not necessarily solemn. Independence can be the setting for ceremonial, or for protest, or for celebration. It is a site that often appears on the itineraries of visiting heads of state or other dignitaries. With luck, the day of such a visit will be fine and the flags on Independence Mall will be snapping in the breeze. The motorcade will come down Chestnut Street with more flags flying, flanked by motorcycle-mounted Philadelphia police.  On the front steps of Independence Hall the superintendent, assistant superintendent, and other members of the park staff will be waiting in uniform to receive the distinguished guests. They will conduct them on a tour of the Assembly Room and to the Liberty Bell, and around more of the park if requested. How much these visits are enjoyed by the dignitaries is sometimes difficult to judge, but they are certainly enjoyed by the spectators. Like parades they offer a good measure of spectacle, enlivened by the excitement of press and television coverage, and spiced with a bit of pageantry and ritual.

Other events are less sedate. Philadelphians and tourists tend to congregate at Independence on many occasions. Some are scheduled, such as the annual Fourth of July celebration, culminating in a massive fireworks display. Others are unplanned. The biggest crowd ever gathered at the park came together spontaneously when the Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup. That was a joyful, if somewhat raucous gathering; at other times the mood of the crowd has been less pleasant. Independence was the site of frequent protests and demonstrations, on both sides of the issue, during the Vietnam War. It is a source of pride to the staff that all incidents were handled in a manner that kept them from becoming ugly.

Independence is also an urban park, a green oasis in the midst of a busy city. In pleasant weather mothers wheel baby carriages and strollers through the park, and toddlers roll on the lawns. In the gardens people read in the shade of trees, feed the birds, or sit talking with friends. Office workers buy lunch from sidewalk vendors on the streets around the park, and eat in Independence Square. When the days become warm, sunbathers stretch out on the mall or other grassy areas. At all times of year people move through the park as they go from home to office, or from office to shop. For Independence is not an isolated shrine, but, as it has always been, part of a living city.

Many of the people who keep the park running also work beyond the visitor’s eye. It takes over 200 park service personnel to run the park year round. This number is supplemented by temporary employees or, in park service parlance, “seasonals” during the peak summer season. In 1976, the Bicentennial year, the staff swelled to approximately 400. Even so, visitors would not receive as much attention as they do if it were not for the VIP’s – Volunteers in the Park – some 150 to 250 of them, who put in regularly scheduled tours of duty. The volunteers are among the park’s people that most visitors see.

Independence today looks serene and beautiful. Rosy-red brick buildings sit amid green lawns, criss-crossed by neat brick and cobbled paths. Trees shade well-tended gardens. The setting looks immutable and inevitable, as if this is the way is has always been and was meant to be. Yet the appearance is deceiving. Independence National Historical Park is, in fact, the product of over 300 years of change and over 60 years of unremitting effort and debate, some of it far from peaceful.

References Cited:
Greiff, Constance M. 1985. Independence: The Creation of a National Park. Heritage Studies, Inc.